The Case of Natasa Kandic

[Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

It is reported that since the defeat of Milosevic, Serb television for the
first time has carried reports of Serb atrocities.

The ability of the press to investigate these has been a crucial lack
during the previous regime and a mark of the national chauvinist essence
behind its public socialism and anti-imperialism.

I have already forwarded reference about Filipovic case, the journalist who
has been imprisoned for revealing such details. I have caught no update so
far about his case.

The other important case is that of Ms Kandic, who has risked imprisonment
for her reports from Yugoslav conscripts of their horror at the activities
of their government in Kosovo.

I do not ognore the warning given by Louis Proyect on 6th October that
Radio B92 is supported by Soros and by the CIA :

> The revolt against Milosevic was the culmination of ten years of
> subversion, both political and economic, that included the following elements:
>
>
> 1. CIA and George Soros (same thing basically) sponsorship of NGO's, B92, etc.



but I think the report below from the B92 website http://www.freeb92.net/
should be considered on its merits.

Anyway it appears to report the statements of the Yugoslav Army
spokesperson, and of Natasa Kandic fairly objectively, including that
Natasa Kandic might be a "psychiatric case".


What treatment she and Filopovic receive will be a mark of the future
regime in Serbia and Yugoslavia.



YA SPOKESMAN: NATASA KANDIC SHOULD BE SENTENCED BELGRADE, 29.08.2000 (Beta)
- Yugoslav Army (YA) spokesman Colonel Svetozar Radisic confirmed today
that the Yugoslav Army would file charges against Natasa Kandic, director
of the Humanitarian Law Center, because of her accusations against the YA,
adding that Kandic "should be sentenced for what she is doing." Radisic
told a news conference that legal action would be taken against Kandic
because of her unfounded accusations in which she "publicly attacked the
Yugoslav Army as an institution." Legal action against Kandic was announced
by the YA General Staff on 25 August in a letter to the editor of Danas in
response to the allegations she made against the YA in a text published in
the newspaper the previous day and an earlier interview with the paper. In
its letter, the General Staff said that unless Kandic substantiated her
allegations with proof, "something else will be involved which also entails
accountability and consequences clearly defined by law." In the text
published by Danas on 24 August and headlined "I Will Not Remain Silent
About the Atrocities," Kandic told the YA General Staff she would not pass
over the suffering of Albanian civilians as well as YA soldiers she saw in
Kosovo during the NATO bombing. She said she would not remain silent about
the crimes in Kosovo of which she knew regardless of which side committed
them. Among other things, Kandic said in the interview that the case of
Kraljevo journalist Miroslav Filipovic, who was sentenced by the Military
Court in Nis to seven years in prison for espionage and spreading of false
reports, was really about his being the first person to "raise the issue of
the reponsibility of the Army, the Serbian forces" in Kosovo. The YA
General Staff, however, assessed that Kandic used the Filipovic case to
accuse "the Army and state, denigrate the Yugoslav judicial system and
cover up the crimes of the Shiptar terrorists and NATO criminals." Colonel
Radisic said today it was "only natural" for Kandic to be taken to court.
"These allegations are so unfounded that no comment is necessary," he said,
adding that there would be no debate with Natasa Kandic and her case would
go through the procedure envisaged by law. "We consider that she has no
arguments and that she should be sentenced for what she is doing," the YA
spokesman said. He added that it would not befit an institution such as the
YA to enter into a polemic "with a person who puts forth such allegations"
since, he said, "this person might be a psychiatric case." Natasa Kandic
told BETA three days ago that she had proof of her allegations based on
what she saw herself and the research and investigations carried out by the
HLC.


Chris Burford

London